Anatomy Lesson
by ChemistryGeek
Summary: Jane has a bad back, Maura has massage oil. Nothing new, just cleaned up some language and fixed some trouble spots.


Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles and all associated characters belong to Tess Gerritsen and TNT. I am not making any money from writing about them.

XXXXXX

It was a typical morning in the squad room: Korsak watching cute animal videos on YouTube, Frost trying new keystrokes for whenever the next infiltration of the records department would come up...when Det. Jane Rizzoli walked in. Now this wasn't her usual authoritative, no-nonsense walk, oh no. This was more like the penguin-esque shuffle everyone does when they're walking on an icy Boston sidewalk in the middle of winter, except it was still September.

Jane's stilted gait was the result of her tackling a perp earlier in the week. They ended up rolling down a driveway and over the sidewalk and curb, with Jane's back and shoulders taking the majority of the impact. And of course everyone knows that just like when you start a new workout routine (damn yoga) or "overexert yourself," it always hurts worse the second day. Well, this was the second day.

As Jane inched her way toward her desk, to the amusement of the room, Frost finally spoke up.

"Rizzoli, why didn't you stay home like we told you to?"

Jane gave him her best "drop dead" glare and said, "I never take a sick day - I don't get sick and unless something has fallen off or is bleeding profusely and needs stitches, I'm perfectly capable of sitting at my desk and getting paperwork done!"

At that moment her butt finally made it into her chair and she had to stifle an un-Janelike squeak when her aching body hit the back of it. And to top it all off, she was so intent on sitting down without falling down, she forgot to grab a cup of coffee. Dammit all to hell...was this going to be a great day or what?

Korsak immediately recognized the pitiful look on her face, closed down his browser, and made a big production out of checking his own coffee cup. He headed for the machine, "Hey Jane - you want a cup of coffee?"

"Uh - yeah!" she said, giving him a grateful look while she tried to maneuver her chair up to her desk into the least painful position. Thankfully the damn thing had wheels so she could push it around relatively easily.

A few hours later Jane gingerly made her way down to the morgue to check on the autopsy results from their current case, and to see Maura of course. The good Dr. Isles, M.E., was Jane's best friend, confidant, and top secret crush...had been for a long time.

Jane never said anything, never revealed any "tells" (that she knew of!) to Maura or to anyone because she was afraid of jeopardizing their friendship and also of becoming the topic of office gossip. Yeah, even though Massachusetts was a fairly liberal state, with gay marriage being legal and all, you just never knew what peoples' reaction would be, especially coworkers, so Jane alwas kept a tight lid on her sexual preferences and especially her feelings for Maura.

She would be mortified if she blurted out something to Maura that revealed her true feelings - hell, she was probably already pushing it by calling her "honey" once in a while! Maura could never think of her like that - not beautiful, sophisticated, once nearly-engaged, STRAIGHT Maura, right? Jane pushed open the door and saw Maura hunched over her microscope, probably looking at fibers or mold or some god-awful dead person residue that she didn't even want to think about. "Hey!" she called out to get Maura's attention.

"Hey yourself!" said Maura, getting up from the bench and walking over to Jane. "How's your back?"

"Fine" Jane answered. "What have you got for me?"

Now for Maura, THAT was a loaded question! What she has got for Jane is the hots...big time. She'd worked with Jane and the other detectives for quite a while, and honestly (because Maura cannot lie), she was a little intimidated by Jane at first. She was gruff, a little on the bossy side, impatient, and sarcastic, but it didn't take Maura long to figure out (she was a genius after all) that underneath her prickly exterior Jane was a big softy, especially with her of all people! They came from vastly different backgrounds but had become the best of friends. So now, looking at Jane waiting expectantly for her results, she knew immediately that Jane was not fine.

"Jane, you shouldn't be here - I know your back is still bothering you."

"Maura come on - what, did the guys call ahead to get you on their side to try to send me home and 'rest'?" Jane responded, emphasizing the last word with air quotes.

"No, of course not Jane! I can tell by the depressor glabellae creases and the tenseness in your masseter, so I know you're still in a lot of pain. Have you taken anything?"

"Hell no! That stuff loops me up and I need to be on the ball to solve this case, now what have you got? And by the way, I am NOT depressed!"

Maura wouldn't budge, so she sighed, and said in her best bossy voice, "you've got that crease between your eyebrows and you're clenching your jaw, now get over here and turn around!"

Jane walked over, knowing she could never refuse Maura anything because deep down she was a big softy, and natch, she had to keep a lid on that one too or the guys would tease her about it until the end of time. "What are you going to do," she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing yet - just let me..."

"OW! You can look but don't touch!" Jane yelped.

Maura had reached out to gently put her hand on Jane's back - she could see through her thin shirt that her neck and upper back trapezius muscles were bunched up and looked painfully tight.

"Sorry...sorry," said Maura soothingly. "Jane you should really take a muscle relaxant or get a heating pad on your neck and upper back; even a massage would be good to loosen up the muscles." Then she paused for a moment; was she really going to say it? "I can help you with that."

It's a good thing Jane was facing away from Maura because her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she heard Maura offer to give her a massage. For a split second she felt she must have looked like the dreaded Frog Face.

Could she trust herself to let Maura touch her like that? And why would Maura volunteer? Hmm...she did fix her nose that time when it met up with Frankie's elbow during their basketball game. Ah, what the hell, it was innocent enough, right? And Jane knew that Maura was very thorough in everything she did, so she was positive that her back would feel much better. Besides, there was the guilty little thrill she'd get from Maura touching her...

She was just about to accept when Maura spoke up: "It's OK Jane, I am a doctor. I have detailed files on human anatomy." At that Jane spun around, since when could Maura quote movie lines? "Jesus Maura, what are you, the Terminator?"

"I'm not a cyborg," she said in a monotone, then smiled sweetly at Jane. Inside she was positively giddy that she caught Jane off guard like that. "OK, I have some time right now - we had a power surge last night and the lab never did get that UPS I recommended, so the GCMS went down and the technician is in there reestablishing the vacuum, then they need to re-tune it, do an OQ and PQ and run some calibration standards before I can get any tox results from the last few autopsies. Just hop up on one of these exam tables."

Jane's eyes started glazing over as soon as Maura said UPS, but once she heard "exam table" she was back. "Ewwww, Mauraaaaaaa, no way! Dead people go up on those tables. Forget it."

Maura got that hurt look on her face like in the bar before the marathon, so Jane had to do some serious damage control because the last thing she wanted was to make Maura cry. "Look, I know you want to help me out and it means a lot to me but it would totally creep me out to even sit on one of those tables, much less lay down on one. How about if you come over later and fix me up, OK? Just no medical, old-lady smelling cream or anything, got it?" She flashed her best smile, trying extra hard to make her dimples as big as possible. She knew it would work; she wasn't the only one who was a softy.

Maura brightened immediately and smiled back. "It's all right Jane, I know you think the tables are haunted." For that she got an eye roll but continued, "I'll stop by after work - I have some great massage oil that I use on my knees sometimes after running. It smells really good, I promise."

"OK. Jo Friday will love to see you. I better head back upstairs to see what the boys are up to."

"I'll let you know when I get something from the lab." Maura touched Jane lightly on her arm, maybe lingered a little too long because she started thinking about how much more of that warm, soft, smooth skin she would get to freely touch later that evening. "Have a good afternoon," she said, and went back to the microscope.

"Uh...sounds great. See you later," Jane replied and left the morgue to get back to her desk. As soon as she made it into the hall, she flattened her back against the wall. Oh. My. God. What the hell just happened in there? Was Maura flirting with her? She was a detective for crying out loud and she can't figure out her best friend?

"Get a grip, Rizzoli," she said to herself. "Look at the evidence: Maura offers to give you a massage, she smiles that gorgeous 'come-hither' smile, and then there's all that touching..." Jane was stunned. All this time she'd been worried about Maura's reaction if her crush was revealed and now all the signs were there that Maura would welcome her affections...or even make her own move if Jane didn't get things started! Holy crap. After a pretty shitty start this could turn into a great day (and night?) after all. Jane had to make damn sure she didn't screw it up.

Meanwhile, Maura's hands were too shaky to keep the microscope in focus after what just happened with Jane. Did she reveal too much? Was she too touchy-feely?

She thought back over the last few weeks; Jane staring at her chest in the lesbian bar, how she got all upset when Maura told her she "wasn't her type," Jane calling her "honey" at the bar before the race, and even her running in the race at all when she claimed to hate running...and yoga! Maura was stunned to realize that she seemed to have some "power" over Jane - that she would put aside her dislikes to accommodate what Maura wanted. Could Jane actually feel something for her, and could they move it forward? Maura would find out tonight and she couldn't wait.

xxx

Jane made it through the rest of the day without too much hassle or old lady jokes from the guys, and now she was home on the couch with Jo Friday curled up on her lap. She had cleaned up the apartment as best she could, considering she could hardly move. She even changed the sheets because she figured her "treatment" would take place on her bed. She thought back to the last time Maura stayed at her place...and in her bed.

Sure it seemed innocent enough, but she didn't think she was imagining the sexual tension between them. Besides, it felt nice to have Maura there with her, listening to her steady breathing while she was meditating and eventually fell asleep. And even though they woke up with a nice safe distance between them, Jane swore she felt Maura snuggle up to her during the night, run her hand through her hair, and whisper that she loved her.

The more Jane thought about it the more she wanted to hear Maura say those words to her when she was fully awake...or would she be brave enough to say them first? She better figure it out pretty quick because the soft knock at the door meant that Maura was finally here.

"It's open!" yelled Jane as she heaved herself off the couch.

"Jane you really shouldn't leave your door unlocked," scolded Maura as she secured the deadbolt and walked over to set her bag down on the breakfast bar.

"It's OK," said Jane, "this is a halfway decent neighborhood and I have my bad-ass gun close by in case any riffraff try to come in. You want a glass of wine?" she asked, holding up her beer.

"Sure," said Maura and sat down on the couch with Jo.

"It's one of those reds you like so much. Thanks again for coming over to work on my back."

"You're welcome, Jane," answered Maura, accepting the wineglass and taking a sip. "Mmmm...this is one of my favorites. Thank you." Jane blushed slightly and sat down, grimacing a little as she sank into the cushions.

"Maura, honestly, my back is killing me and I don't know how I made it through the day. I hope all of your doctorly anatomy magic will get me back to normal." They both laughed and Maura turned to Jane and looked her straight in the eye. "Jane, I hate to see you in pain and will do my best to make you feel better."

They both sat there for a moment, each aware of the attraction and depth of feeling they had for the other, but unsure if it was reciprocated. Finally Maura started to laugh and at Jane's questioning look she explained: "In med school my study group would quiz each other on bones and muscles by pointing to ourselves or poking each other, and the first to identify the correct anatomical name would get a point."

"I bet you won every time," said Jane, but Maura just smiled. "Try me," she challenged.

"Yeah right," Jane snorted, "you could make up some technical sounding term and I wouldn't even know the difference!"

"Jane, you know I wouldn't lie! I would win fair and square," Maura said, smiling confidently.

"Hummph," Jane grouched, folding her arms and nonchalantly pointing to her elbow. A nanosecond later Maura said, "ulnar nerve."

Jane's finger moved to her eyebrow. "Supraorbital process."

Top of the shoulder. "Acromion."

Kneecap. "Patella." "Just checking, I know that one," laughed Jane.

Calf. "Gastrocnemius muscle."

Ankle bone. "Talus."

Heel. "Calcaneus."

Back of the upper arm. "Triceps brachii. Jane you could do this all night and not stump me. Why don't you go lay down and I'll heat up the oil I brought."

"Oh all right miss smarty pants." Jane got up grinning and walked toward her bedroom. That was a great game - she could almost see the wheels turning in Maura's head as she rattled off those complex names like it was nothing. Jane was lucky if she could name half of the fake body parts from "Operation."

Right before she turned down the hall she said, "Just one more" and pointed to her butt. "Very funny...gluteus maximus." Jane's chuckle drifted back to Maura as she dropped the bottle of massage oil into a bowl of water and put it in the microwave.

Maura thought everything was going well so far; they had their usual comfortable ease with each other, plus their teasing banter and laughs. She loved playing "name that body part" and of course she won every time. The study group always got jealous, but Jane made it fun for her to show off her knowledge, even though sometimes she faked being annoyed when Maura "went all Google" on her and Frost. She took a deep breath and headed toward the bedroom with the oil and a few towels. She hoped against hope that she could finally admit to Jane what she felt for her.

Jane was laying face down on her bed wearing shorts and a sports bra. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. "A bad case of agita" her mother would say, but it was more like nervous anticipation than unease. She heard the microwave beep and knew that in a few short moments, Maura's capable hands would be coaxing the tension and pain out of her body.

Jane valued her friendship with Maura so much - she never had any "girl" friends growing up; she played sports and was one of the smart ones in her class, and it seemed to her that all the other girls were a bunch of airheads who only wanted to talk about clothes and boys. Jane appreciated Maura's intelligence; even though she's scary smart, Maura never makes Jane feel stupid. Yeah, she did think Maura was a little distant and odd when they first met, but as they got to know each other, all of Maura's quirks, her kindness, sincerity, and loyalty firmly established her as the best friend Jane ever had. She doesn't know when she realized she was in love with Maura, but now it feels like she was never anything but, and she's confident that tonight she will let Maura know how she feels.

On cue, Maura came into the bedroom with her oil and towels. "Jane, are you awake?"

"Yeah, but I'm getting a little sleepy."

"That's OK, it's good that you are relaxed, but, um, I need to be able to reach your whole back, so you need to take that off."

"Sure, but, uh, you may have to give me a hand." Jane tried reaching over head and grabbing for the band of the sports bra, but she wasn't getting anywhere. "Here, let me," said Maura, taking the sides of the bra while Jane lifted up her torso and held the front. Maura pushed, Jane pulled, and then Jane laid back down, half naked. She gathered up her hair and moved it off to the side, then stretched her arms over her head. "Is this OK?"

"Perfect," answered Maura with a slight crack in her voice. Jane's body was magnificent. Maura knew she had great legs, not to mention arms and shoulders based on the running outfit, but to see that expanse of soft, tanned skin and toned muscles before her was breathtaking. She couldn't resist running her hand over it, starting at Jane's neck, down to her side, and back up. "Splenius capitis, levator scapula, trapezius, deltoid, teres major, latissimus dorsi," she murmured, tracing her finger down Jane's back and wishing it were her lips and tongue exploring the soft skin. "Erector spinae, occipitalis," she finished, her palm sliding up the center of Jane's back and neck and into her hair to gently cradle her skull. Maura could feel Jane shiver beneath her hand and couldn't help but smile, knowing how much she affected her with the slightest of touches.

"Mmmm..." Jane moaned as Maura's feather-light touch moved over her. She never felt anything like it and Maura had barely started. She had to smile when Maura named all of the different muscles she touched.

"Showoff," Jane teased, peeking over her shoulder and giving Maura a wink.

"Oh you love it and you know it."

"Yeah, I do. Is that all you've got?"

"Jane, I am nowhere near finished with you," Maura answered, her voice deeper and more sensuous than Jane had ever heard it. "Now be quiet and let me get to work."

With that Maura got up to get the bottle of oil, returned to the bed, and sat down on Jane's butt, straddling her slim hips. She popped open the bottle. "You ready?"

Jane could only gulp, nod, and let out a weak "Yep."

"Good. So am I."

Holy crap again. Jane couldn't believe it - she never thought Maura could be so...dominant? This was going to be good.

As soon as Maura poured some of the warm oil on her back, Jane couldn't resist another moan because the heat was so soothing. Then she inhaled deeply. "Maura - what is that, a pack of melted cough drops?"

"No silly, it's a special Swedish massage oil with essential oil of eucalyptus. It's great for delivering a feeling of heat to relax and loosen up the muscles." Maura finished her explanation and put the bottle on the nightstand. Then she put both palms on Jane's back and slowly and gently, with slight pressure, moved her hands around in small circles to spread out the oil and feel for places with the worst knots and tightness. Neck and upper back definitely, across the shoulders, and, well, everywhere she could get her hands. Maura was mesmerized by how soft Jane's skin was, and simply let her hands roam aimlessly for minutes that seemed to go on for hours.

"Holy sh...mmmmm...oh god, Maura, that feels incredible. Where were you after that softball game last month when I slid into that Neanderthal at third base?"

"I was at the Dirty Robber with you and Frost and Frankie and...oh." She stopped whe she saw Jane's left eye narrow so she only looked half as exasperated as usual. "Jane, all you have to do is ask - I'd be happy to give you a massage anytime," Maura said eagerly.

"For real? Aww Maura, thanks. You're the best. And that goes for you too. I'm sure you get pretty sore from hunching over the autopsy tables and that damn microscope all day long."

"That's sweet of you Jane - I have had some long days lately." Maura left out the part about her near-weekly spa visits that included an hour long deep tissue massage. However, once Jane touched her she could never go back.

She kept up her gentle stroking, squeezing Jane's neck and shoulders, down her arms, and moving the heels of her hands up and down Jane's spine.

While Maura was enjoying her task, Jane was trying not to spontaneously combust under her gentle ministrations. The feel of Maura's hands roaming over her back and arms was more exquisite than Jane ever imagined. Every once in a while she would flinch when Maura found a really tender spot, but her murmured "sorry" and gentler touch in that area let Jane relax again and almost drift off to sleep.

"Jane?" "Mmmrfph." "Jane!" "Hm - yeah? God that feels good, Maura, don't stop."

"I'm not, but I have to press a little harder in a few spots; you have quite a few bruises." It broke Maura's heart to see the multicolored mess that covered a lot of Jane's back, but it would heal and she'd be there to help make it happen.

"Mmm...'s OK," Jane replied sleepily. "I know you're not trying to hurt me and I suppose I made it worse by not taking anything or not using the heating pad..."

"Just relax Jane, you'll be fine," Maura soothed, reaching for more oil. "Trust me."

"I do Maura, you know that."

Maura reached down again and pressed harder with her thumbs from the waistband of Jane's shorts all the way up to the base of Jane's neck, then back down with her fingertips. She moved her hands apart slightly and continued up and down, feeling the muscles loosen and Jane relax more with every stroke. "How are you feeling Jane - am I pressing too hard?"

"No, it feels great - much better thanks. What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

Maura was taken aback for a second - how could Jane not know? "What do you mean 'What did you ever do?' Jane, you're one of the kindest people I know. You stand up for the underdogs and work your hardest to you know, be bad-ass and fight crime."

Jane looked back at Maura and was about to laugh, but she saw the serious look on Maura's face and waited for her to finish. Maura continued squeezing the tops of Jane's shoulders, where neck and back met and she finally spoke.

"You are a good friend too, Jane. You're the only one who really reached out to me when I first came to the department, and you wanted to be friends with me, and you brought me into your family, and you put up with my Google mouth..."

Now they both laughed, but Maura got serious again and leaned slightly forward so she could look deeply into Jane's endless brown eyes. "You're the best friend I've ever had, Jane, and I care about you very much." She pushed a lock of hair behind Jane's ear and softly said, "I...I love you, Jane."

Maura felt Jane stiffen, watched her eyes widen slightly, and she panicked. "Oh god...oh Jane, I'm sorry..." She scrambled to get up, away from Jane's shocked look and rejection. She sat on the corner of the bed with her head in her hands.

Shit. "How could you be so stupid, Rizzoli?" Jane thought to herself as she sat up and threw on a t-shirt that was laying on her pillow. She moved next to Maura and put her hand on her knee.

"Maura? Maura look at me - you're not going to take it back, are you?"

Maura slowly looked up, her hazel eyes brimming with tears. She turned to Jane and saw her eyes also welling up with tears as she continued, "because it would kill me if you didn't love me as much as I love you - I have for so long...oh Maura..." She gathered Maura into her arms and hugged her tight.

When she felt Maura relax, Jane moved back and reached out to her cheek and wiped away her tears with her thumb, then moved her hand to Maura's neck and into her hair, her fingers kneading gently. "I wanted to tell you but I was so afraid you would freak out, or not feel the same..."

"Shhh...Jane - I understand...I was scared too, but you mean so much to me and I had to finally say it." She had put her fingers on Jane's lips as she spoke, and now cupped her cheek. "I love you Jane."

"I love you too, Maura, so much." Jane slowly pulled Maura toward her, looking deep into her eyes as their lips met and each woman sighed at the contact. They kissed slowly for several moments, then Jane felt Maura gently suck on her bottom lip, so she opened her mouth to meet Maura's tongue with her own. The contact was electrifying - Jane moaned into Maura's mouth as their kiss deepened, tongues equally giving and taking to and from each other.

Maura had both hands in Jane's thick hair and she gently pulled Jane's head back so she could kiss her jaw and down her long neck. "Mmmm...Maura you're amazing. Why didn't we do this a long time ago?"

Jane felt Maura smile into her neck before she answered, "Because someone was too chicken to say anything?"

"Hey! But there's nothing stopping me now," Jane shot back, guiding Maura's mouth back to hers for the most passionate kiss Maura had ever experienced. When they finally broke apart to breathe, Maura saw the desire in Jane's eyes, despite the fatigue of the last couple of days.

"Maura, I want so much more...," Jane began, but hesitated.

"But you're exhausted Jane - it's OK. We have so many more nights to do SO much more - it's definitely something to look forward to," Maura said, dropping her voice to that sexy tone she used when she took charge earlier.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Jane asked, holding Maura's hands in her own.

"Of course. I love watching you sleep - how the tension just melts off your face," said Maura, reaching up to smooth her hand over Jane's forehead and temples and almost like magic she could feel Jane relax.

"Mmm, that's nice," Jane murmured, leaning into Maura's gentle touch. "Lemme take Jo out one more time before we go to sleep." She moved to get up but Maura steered her back to the bed. "No - I'll do it. You lie down and I'll be right back."

"Thank you Maura, for taking care of Jo...and me."

"Always, Jane - I'll always be there for you," Maura said tenderly, giving Jane a kiss and stroking her hair. She got up and went to get Jo, leaving Jane sitting on the bed with her hair tousled and and a big smile on her face.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, Jane fell back on the bed with a huge sigh of relief. Now that she knew for sure that Maura loved her back, she wished she wasn't still in a little pain, and that she didn't have to go to work in the morning... All she wanted to do was spend the day in bed with Maura, kissing and touching her everywhere. Jane replayed their heated kisses and desperately wanted to know what else Maura could do with her tongue. "OK Rizzoli, that was a little crass," she scolded herself, but damn, Maura was a fantastic kisser.

Jane yawned and stretched, then pulled off her shirt and laid face down on "her" side of the bed. She was sure Maura would take the hint and rub her back some more to help her fall asleep. She smiled as she dozed, so grateful she had Maura as her best friend and lover.

Outside, Maura waited patiently while Jo sniffed every tree and shrub, checking and replying to the "pee-mail" messages from her doggy friends in the neighborhood. Maura felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her when Jane returned her declarations of love. And her kisses...Maura wanted more too but it was probably for the best that they take things slow, since they both had such an emotional outpouring. To have Jane as her best friend and her lover made Maura feel more complete than she ever thought was possible.

Jo nudged her leg, ready to go back inside, and after locking the door and making sure Jo had fresh water, Maura turned out the lights and went back into the bedroom.

Jane was stretched out on her stomach, breathing deeply and evenly, and Maura turned out the lamp on the bedside table and carefully climbed on the bed, trying not to disturb Jane. She was thrilled to see that Jane had taken off her shirt; now she could finally kiss the soft skin she craved from the moment she first saw it. She bent down and pressed her lips to the base of Jane's neck, savoring the warmth and softness. Another kiss, below her shoulder blade, then another, and another before she rested her cheek on Jane's left shoulder and let her fingers trail up and down her arm.

"Hmmm..." Jane sighed, not as asleep as Maura thought. "Trapezius, teres major, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae." Jane identified every muscle Maura marked with her kisses.

Maura was touched. "Jane - you were really listening?"

"Mm-hmmm," Jane murmured, "you always have my undivided attention."

"And you have mine." Maura sat up and moved forward to give Jane one more kiss on her full lips. "Good night Jane - I love you," she said softly, looking her in the eye before resting her head back on Jane's shoulder.

"I love you too Maura, good night," Jane replied, then closed her eyes.

Maura ran her hand down Jane's arm, stopping when she felt the scar on the back of her hand. Jane had been through so much, had suffered so much pain, but she was strong and brave and...mine, thought Maura. She put her hand on top of Jane's and felt Jane's fingers reach up to intertwine with hers and hold them tight. "I'm just as much hers as she is mine, " Maura realized, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep with Jane - where she knew she truly belonged.


End file.
